Professional Qualities To Look For When Hiring Concrete Driveway Contractors

When looking for a concrete driveway contractor near you, what do you look for? Professionalism should be at the top of your list. A contractor can have the best concreting equipment and all the certifications and licenses needed to operate; but without professionalism, their business will fail in a few years. Also, when you hire an unprofessional contractor, the service delivery will be poor, and the end result might not be what you were hoping for.

The professional qualities to look for when hiring concrete driveway contractors include:

Good customer care

This is the first professional quality of a contractor you will notice. When you call them, the person who receives your call should be polite and have very good listening skills. They should be able to answer your questions or forward your call to someone who will. After hanging up, they should not take long to get back to you with information about when to expect the on-site estimator.

The estimator or contractor representative should not only answer your questions but also offer good recommendations. After all, they are the experts. If you are not satisfied with the customer service from the first call to the time the estimator leaves your home, look for another driveway contractor.

Integrity and honesty

A contractor should exhibit integrity before you hire them. Integrity means that they honor commitments and do things when they say they will. The estimator should arrive at the exact time they promised or earlier. Similarly, after booking their services, the foreman assigned to your project and his team should arrive on time. A professional contractor also portrays honesty by not making promises they cannot keep.

If a company does not honor small commitments such as dispatching an estimator, why should you trust that they will commit to your project and successfully complete it?

Industry knowledge

The best quality of any professional is specialized knowledge. A concrete driveway professional has specialized knowledge in concrete application and driveway installation. The best way to know if a contractor is knowledgeable is by asking for certifications. Professional concrete driveway contractors will have certifications from ACI and ICPI. Make sure the certifications are up to date.

Also ask the contractor if they belong to any industry associations. The American Society of Concrete Contractors organizes seminars and workshops where its members learn the latest concrete laying and building techniques and safety standards. A contractor that is a member of such associations shows that they have made a commitment to further their knowledge, making them professional.

Competency

Competency is the ability to successfully complete a project. It refers to a contractor’s reliability. You can gauge their reliability by talking to previous customers. Also, check their reviews and ratings on consumer review sites such as Yelp, Angie’s List, and BBB. Read both the positive and negative reviews. Make sure that you can handle the issues that previous customers are complaining about should they happen to you.

Flexibility

Flexibility refers to the contractor’s ability to handle difficult challenges and changes. Should your availability change, they should adapt to your new schedule. They should also be able to handle unforeseen challenges such as watery soil or bad weather. Instead of creating excuses, a flexible driveway contractor provides new solutions.

Accountability

A professional concrete driveway contractor will hold themselves responsible for any mistakes they make. They stand behind their work and correct the mistakes without any attempt to pass the blame to you, the client. On the online review sites, check how the company responds to negative reviews. Their responses will tell you if they own up to their mistakes.

A contractor that is ready to be held accountable will present every detail of the project in the contract. Also, they will guarantee their work for a reasonable period. Due to the durability of concrete, some offer warranties lasting up to three years.

Fast service delivery

A driveway project is not a matter of life and death. Still, you should not have to wait for weeks before the contractor completes the project. Also, once the project commences, the contractor should complete it as soon as possible. Uniformity makes concrete durable and reduces the chances of structural failure. So, the driveway concrete has to be poured on the same day. When talking to the contractor’s representative, ask when the contractor will be available and how fast it will take to complete the project.

Find a concrete driveway contractor

We are here to help you find concrete driveway contractors near you. All you have to do is visit this page and select your state, then your area. Make sure to check that the contractor has the professional qualities outlined above before hiring them.